Improving Environment Focus of Earth Day Fair

Cuong Dinh Pham said he finally has a good reason to celebrate Earth Day.

The 19-year-old Cal State Northridge international student said that heavy contamination in his native Vietnam kept him with a runny nose and red eyes most of the time.

“Here, the air is cleaner, you see more green,” Pham said. “I can see and breathe better now.”

Pham was one of about 600 CSUN students, community members and ecologists who attended an Earth Day fair Tuesday at the campus. Some members of the crowd ate free food, listened to environment-oriented songs and stopped at several of the booths to learn more about ways to improve the environment.

The official Earth Day is Thursday, but the celebration began Monday at the campus with a crafts fair and will continue to the end of the week with a tree-planting ceremony today and live performances Friday, said Jeremy Sonenschein, an organizer.

The University Student Union Board, student government and other organizations sponsored the event to educate people about the need for more green space in the city, Sonenschein said.

“We are planting trees now, so in 20 or so years, the next generation of students can enjoy shade,” he said. “It’s all about leaving a better earth for those coming, the children growing up.”

Katherine Robbins, TreePeople volunteer coordinator, encouraged those who stopped at her booth not only to be active in their school, but also to recruit neighbors and plant more trees in their neighborhoods and other parts of the city.

“We can always use more people stopping by, wanting to volunteer, and planting more trees,” Robbins said. “It seems people are too busy.”

My Dung Phan, 25, a student at CSUN, said everyone can make a difference by picking up trash on the streets.

“Little things like these count,” Phan said. “We do so much stuff to make the earth, environment dirty and so little to make it better.”

Pham, the international student, said he will do his part to increase the number of trees on campus. He had inhaled plenty of smoke in Ho Chi Minh City, one of the largest cities in Vietnam, and does not plan to go through that again.

“Don’t just give me a slogan, ‘Be Active,’ ” Pham said. “Tell me how to do it. We just need direction.”

For more information, contact the CSUN Student Union Board at (818) 677-2491.